CZ Trigger Job?

[baddarryl]

Hi all. How do I know if my used 75B has had a trigger job? To me it feels very smooth, light in DA and crisp. I have no complaints, but wonder if it could be made even better. Thanks.

 

[ShootistPRS]

My CZ 75B had a very nice double action trigger right from the box. It was the single action trigger that felt like it had sand in it. I cleaned it up a bit and then decided to shoot it a while before doing any more honing. If your single action trigger is smooth and crisp it is likely to have had some trigger work on it.

 

[Dfariswheel]

One of the best possible CZ type pistol trigger jobs is to send it in to Cajun Gun Works.
They're experts on the CZ's and sell a special shorter trigger pull conversion that puts the trigger farther back in the trigger guard.

https://cajungunworks.com/

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Hi all. How do I know if my used 75B has had a trigger job? To me it feels very smooth, light in DA and crisp. I have no complaints, but wonder if it could be made even better. Thanks.

There's no easy answer to your question about whether it can be made better, as we don't know just how good it is. Someone who has experience with CZs could probably tell you whether it can be improved, if he or she tries it.

There are a number of do-it-yourself guides to doing trigger jobs on the various CZ forums (some with photos). And any competent gunsmith can greatly improve both the DA and SA triggers over their "stock" state. A drop-in aftermarket hammer also improves the SA trigger, as well.

If you've got a used CZ that has a smooth DA trigger -- that can happen with use, but if it's got a great single action trigger, it probably got some help, somewhere.

 

[bigmatt]

There are ways to tell. First and easiest would be to check to see if any parts were charged out. Are the trigger and firing pin retaining pin standard roll pins? (Double roll pin for FP retaining pin). Does it have a regular rounded ring hammer? The upgraded hammers from CZC or CGW are squared off so they are easy to spot. The other is remove the grips and is the hammer spring colored? CGW color codes their springs. The other way would be to do a full disassembly and look for signs of polishing on the trigger bar, hammer, sear, and other parts. But, signs could end up being natural wear/polishing from use.

Even if it HAD work done it can be made better. A trigger pull gauge would be handy to take some base need in DA and SA. In my experience a new CZ will usually be around 9-10 pounds in DA and around 5 pounds in SA. Of course those are ball park numbers and a +\- of a pound wouldn't surprise me. A well used and broken bone stock CZ could be 8-9 DA and 3.5-4.5 SA. With some parts and work you could get the DA to 6-7 pounds (or less) and the SA under 3.5 pounds.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

...There are ways to tell. First and easiest would be to check to see if any parts were charged out.

Except for the most obvious things like the HAMMER or TRIGGER, there's not much to see, unless you're very familiar with CZs. Just polishing the action (trigger bar, sear and hammer hooks, the firing pin safety plunger, and polishing where any of these parts rub each other will do wonders. Lightening the hammer spring a pound or two will lighten and improve the trigger if you want a lighter trigger. One gunsmith I knew (now retired) polished the inside of the hammer spring and recoil spring with a very fine needle file, and also polished the surface of the hammer strut with wet/dry sandpaper. None of these modifications would be easily seen unless you detail-stripped and knew where to look -- but all of them could be felt when you worked the action or pulled the trigger.

Are the trigger and firing pin retaining pin standard roll pins? (Double roll pin for FP retaining pin).

Is CZ using roll pins for the trigger? (They always used staked solid pins in the past. (I haven't bought a new one in a while.) My P-07 Duty -- which I like a lot -- has a solid trigger pin, so I assumed the old practice was still in place. Doubled roll pins have been around for several years, but there are still a lot of used CZs out there, many with action work done, that still have single roll pins' a few may have been upgraded by their owners.

Even if it HAD work done it can be made better.

Smoother and crisper is always better, but a lighter trigger is a matter of personal taste. Some of the purists who shoot competitively feel that the firing pin block safety has to go, and that, in turn, requires some timing adjustments (which are above my pay grade). But most argue against that sort of change -- and very light triggers -- in a CARRY or Home Defense semi-auto.

 

[Nathan]

The core of a CZ trigger job is replacing the hamme. If yours is original, the gun is likely original.

 

[bigmatt]

Is CZ using roll pins for the trigger? (They always used staked solid pins in the past. (I haven't bought a new one in a while.) My P-07 Duty -- which I like a lot -- has a solid trigger pin, so I assumed the old practice was still in place. Doubled roll pins have been around for several years, but there are still a lot of used CZs out there, many with action work done, that still have single roll pins' a few may have been upgraded by their owners.

Very old CZ's did use solid pins for the trigger. My 84' CZ75 Pre-B that is 100% stock has a solid pin for the trigger. I'm thinking maybe late 80's/very early 90's they changed. I have/had a 93' (Pre-B), 95' (Pre-B), 00' ("P-01"), 05' (Rami), and a 14' (SP01) and all of them had roll pins on the trigger and the double roll pin retaining the firing pin. The P-07/P-09 do use a solid pin on the trigger. My CZ P-10C basically has everything held in with a roll pin.

Smoother and crisper is always better, but a lighter trigger is a matter of personal taste. Some of the purists who shoot competitively feel that the firing pin block safety has to go, and that, in turn, requires some timing adjustments (which are above my pay grade). But most argue against that sort of change -- and very light triggers -- in a CARRY or Home Defense semi-auto.

On most non-competition CZ models they have a bit (to a lot) of hammer camming in single action which adds to the trigger pull weight. Replacing the hammer with a CZC Comp or CGW Race will give the crisp trigger break and lower the trigger pull weight some. When I first got my P-07 I polished the action and "borrowed" my CGW Race hammer from my P-09. I was surprised at how much improvement that ended up making. The hammer never ended up back in the P-09 and I had to order another one in the end for the P-09.

The firing pin block adds a bit of trigger pull weight and adds to the reset length and the amount of pre travel take up. The reset length and pre travel take can be reduced greatly by using a Short reset kit and replacing the disconnector even with keeping the stock FPB intact. I shoot in IDPA with a SP-01 with the firing pin block intact. I went so far as to install and hand fit an oversized CGW disconnector to get the shortest possible reset. It has a very short reset with a very small amount of pre travel take up before a crisp SA trigger break. It has a bunch of other CGW/CZC parts plus polishing and that resulted in a 2 pound SA and 5.5 pound DA with a FPB. But, agreed I would not use it as a carry or bed side gun because the trigger is too light.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

When I first got my P-07 I polished the action and "borrowed" my CGW Race hammer from my P-09. I was surprised at how much improvement that ended up making. The hammer never ended up back in the P-09 and I had to order another one in the end for the P-09.

Now, you're giving me ideas... for my P-07 (but it's actually pretty good as it.) Very similar to a Sphinx SDP I also own.

On most non-competition CZ models they have a bit (to a lot) of hammer camming in single action which adds to the trigger pull weight.

The camming is an irritating feature that wasn't so noticeable in the late 90's and early 2000 CZs. It appears that it adds extra weight because you must continue to charge the hammer spring until it's finally released. (The after-market hammers don't require that!!) That just doesn't make sense in a single-action design. I would think that a slight change in hammer/sear geometry at the factory would arguably fix the problem. (The Tanfoglio versions of the CZ design don't have that problem.)

I've owned a bunch of CZs, both pre-B and B models, and none of them had roll pins in the trigger assembly. But I haven't bought a new CZ since '99, and that one (an 85 Combat) does have a roll pin, which I never noticed. That one was worked on by a local gunsmith, so I'm not sure it came from the factory that way -- but possibly did. It seems a lot more sensible to use roll pins in that location.

 

[claydoctor]

The last two I examined in my LGS were nothing like you describe. Both were pretty bad .